Lake Ngami To Transform Into Economic Giant
Boniface Keakabetse | Monday August 24, 2015 15:34
The sustainable land management project, which is being under taken by UNDP has funded the feasibility study to setup a fish processing plant in Sehitwa which will improve fish business in the area.
Moreover, government has facilitated a lucrative fish export deal which will see the fishing cooperative in the area exporting 10 tones of fish from the lake to Zambia.
The lake management plan further identifies activities such as lodge, campsites, horse trails and water skiing as some of the activities which will take place at the lake. These developments have apparently ignited a fierce battle as individuals battle each other for the control of the money spinning business on the lake.
At the centre of the ongoing tug of war are the Lake Ngami Community Development Trusts (LNCDT) and the Lake Ngami Fishing Cluster which are wrestling for the control of the fishing waters. This emerged following the recent meeting between the fishing cluster and Botswana High Commissioner to Zambia, Lebonaamang Mokalake.
Mokalake was to confirm the progress on the fishing trust readiness to begin fish export to Zambia. “The high commissioner was here to check our progress to begin exporting fish to Zambia”said Bogaisang the chairman of the fishing cluster.
Mokalake’s meeting has however rubbed the LNCDT the wrong way. LNCDT chairman Frisco Gabokakangwe told The Monitor that the trust is not happy that Mokalake came to address the meeting without involving the trust.
Gabokakangwe said his trust was a fully legally constituted entity that had all the management rights over affairs on the lake including fishing. Therefore, Gabokakangwe said it was improper for the high commissioner to address the fishing cluster excluding the trust as the legal custodian of the lake. But Bogaisang differed saying the LNCDT was confusing its mandate.
Bogaisang said LNCDT was responsible for the lake management while the mandate of the fishing cluster was to help the fishermen market their fish. “Mokalake came to help catalyse fish exports to Zambia. He was not here to talk about fishing or any business affecting the lake which falls within the mandate of the trust.”
Gabokakangwe was however unmoved saying the trust was concerned that a person of Mokalake’s calibre decided to isolate a critical stakeholder being LNCDT. Bogaisang however assures the trusts that his cluster will not take their responsibility saying, as he understands it the cluster falls under the trust. He said the cluster was formed after concerns that the fishermen were exploited when selling their fish. He added: “We fall under the trust. It is the one which control the lake, including leasing the fishing sites to fishermen.”
Bogaisang also said through the help of the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency they have formed a fishing cooperative which will replace the fishing cluster. He said the cooperative so far have 30 members who will each contribute fish to the cooperative which to sell on their behalf.
According to Bogaisang each member will pay a set commission to the trust for selling on their behalf. Asked if it will be mandatory for each fishermen around the lake to be a member, he said the area will still remain an open market. He said however for non-members, the trust will buy directly from them and export.
He explained that this will help solve the exploitation of the fishermen by individual foreign fish traders who buy fish cheaply from the fishermen and make a lot of money from exporting.
On Monday, officials of the Office of the President are expected to address LNCDT on issues affecting the lake. Gabokakangwe said they had requested funds from the OP to help them set up camping sites.
Gabokakangwe said his trust was too broke to undertake developments on the lake such as setting up fishing camps and ablutions.